Melbourne - Australian police on Thursday
urged fans of Justin Bieber and their parents to stay vigilant
on the internet, after they filed charges over more than 900
child sex offences against a man who impersonated the pop star
online.
Bieber, a 23-year-old Canadian with more than 92 million
followers on social network Twitter, ranked among Forbes' most
powerful celebrities from 2011 to 2013, is visiting Australia on
his Purpose World Tour.
Queensland police had already charged the 42-year-old man
with serious offences related to possession of child
exploitation material and use of the internet and social media
to groom those younger than 16.
But an examination of his computer led to the filing of an
additional 931 charges against the man, who has not been named
by police.
Police alleged the man used online platforms such as
Facebook and Skype to communicate with victims and seek explicit
images from young children, in offences dating from 2007.
A lot of child exploitation material was found on his
computer, they added.
"The fact that so many children could believe they were
communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need
for a serious rethink about the way we educate our children
about online safety," Jon Rouse, an official of a police
task force to fight child exploitation online, said.
The incident highlights both the vulnerability of children
using social media and communication applications and the global
reach and skill child sex offenders have in luring victims, he
said in a statement.
A lawyer who represented the man in November, at the time
initial charges were filed, did not answer his telephone on
Thursday.
Bieber will be playing in Melbourne this week before moving
to Sydney and Brisbane next week.